Autonomous platforms based on the Robinson R66 and Bell 505 Jet Ranger X have been awarded funding for development under a U.S. Marine Corps’ aerial resupply program.
The two autonomous platforms — finalists in the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next program in their manned variants — are being developed by Sikorsky and Near Earth Autonomy, respectively.
In a press release announcing the funding, Sikorsky said it had received $15.5 million as part of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) Increment 2 program.
The program is designed to fill a capability gap between small tactical drones and large strategic airlifters, delivering a reliable “middleweight” uncrewed logistics platform that can operate from austere forward operating bases, ship decks, or unimproved landing zones.
MARV-EL requires an uncrewed aircraft that can carry a logistics payload between 1,300 and 2,500 pounds to a combat radius of 100 nautical miles, operated through a common digital handheld device.
The Sikorsky program uses the Robinson R66 Turbinetruck as the base platform — the autonomous version of the latter company’s popular R66, augmented with Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy system, that was unveiled last month at VAI Verticon.
“As we expand the MATRIX family, we also extend the reach of uncrewed solutions for both civil and military customers,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky. “The commercially developed R66 TURBINETRUCK is simple, economical and re-configurable; ideal for high-risk, hard-to-reach environments where keeping personnel out of harm’s way is essential.”
David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, said the Turbinetruck represents “a significant step forward” in expanding proven rotorcraft into scalable, autonomous cargo solutions.
“Together, we are delivering a game‑changing capability that will enhance warfighter readiness and open new opportunities for safe, reliable and affordable autonomous transport,” he said.
The Near Earth program combines that company’s Captain autonomy software, the Bell 505, and Moog’s Genesys avionics. XP Services will provide modification, integration, maintenance and experimental flight test support.
“To be as intuitive as possible, we are designing the aircraft around existing Marine Corps workflows,” said Lyle Chamberlain, CTO of Near Earth. “Operators will be able to request, dispatch, and manage missions through familiar command-and-control pathways, including MAGTAB and MANGL integration. At the same time, cargo can be loaded with standard pallet jacks and forklifts. This approach reduces infrastructure burden and helps make autonomous resupply practical for expeditionary operations.”
The program builds on lessons learned with the U.S. Marine Corps on the Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) and Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) programs, and shares the same autonomy framework used in the Army’s RUC-60 optionally piloted Black Hawks.
Over the next 36 months, Near Earth will integrate and flight test the autonomous flight system, progressing from early demonstrations to full mission capability, while helping inform future Marine Corps operational procedures for autonomous aerial logistics.
“The Bell 505 provides a proven, OEM-supported platform that is well suited for rapid adaptation to new mission requirements,” said Jason Hurst, SVP of engineering, Bell. “By combining that aircraft maturity with Near Earth’s autonomy and integration expertise, this program has a strong foundation for delivering an effective autonomous logistics capability for the Marine Corps.”
